Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN!
Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2018.

In order to select a specific record collection on FamilySearch, go to https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list and use the "Filter by collection name" feature in the upper left-hand corner and use a keyword (e.g. "church england") to find collections with those keywords..

My friend, Marshall, has come up with a way to determine which collections are ADDED, DELETED or UPDATED. Thanks to Marshall for helping me out here!

Each one of the collections listed above has a Research Wiki page (use the "Learn more" link). It would be very useful if the Wiki page for each collection listed the dates for when the collection was added as a new collection and the dates for major updates also.

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Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!):1) Michael John Neill wrote a blog post this week listing his ancestors that have an entry in the Social Security Death Index (SSDI). He had seven ancestors in the SSDI.2) This week, review your files and determine which of your ancestors have an entry in the Social Security Death Index (free on FamilySearch.org - see https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1202535). How many do you have?3) Tell us in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this blog post, in a status line on Facebook or Google Plus. Leave a comment with a link to your blog post if you write one.Here's mine:* Father: Frederick Walton Seaver Jr (1911-1983)* Mother: Betty Virginia (Carringer) Seaver (1919-2002)* Grandfather: Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942) - none* Grandmother: Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver (1882-1962) - none* Grandfather: Lyle Lawrence Carringer (1891-1976)* Grandmother: Emily Kemp (Auble) Carringer (1899-1977)All eight of my great-grandparents died between 1913 and 1952 and are not in the SSDI.So I have four. A strange thing happened on my way to the SNGF. When I searched for my mother with "betty" and "seaver" died in "2002" the result did not appear on FamilySearch. I found her easily on Ancestry.com using the same search terms. I went back to FamilySearch and searched for "seaver" and died in "2002" and found the "Betty C. Seaver" entry. I searched for "betty c." and "seaver" and it did not find it, but it did find "c" and "seaver." So they must have misindexed "Betty" but it prints out as "Betty C. Seaver." Strange.She's also the only one of my ancestors with an entry in the Social Security Application and Claims Index database on Ancestry.com.

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I am working in the 9th great-grandmothers by Ahnentafel number, and I am up to Ancestor #2143 whois Ruth BLODGETT (1656-1695). [Note: the earlier great-grandmothers and 9th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts.]My ancestral line back through three generations in this BLODGETT family line is:1. Randall J. Seaver

Copyright (c) 2018, Randall J. SeaverPlease comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Copyright (c) 2018, Randall J. SeaverPlease comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Search over 1,000 records to learn more about the Irish officers who died in the First World War. Discover where and when an officer died, as well as the cause of death. You may also uncover details of an officer's family and pre-war life.Originally published in 1916 as Our Heroes, this book covered the period August 1914 to July 1916. It contained photographs, with biographical notes, of officers of Irish regiments and Irish officers of British regiments who had fallen in action, or who had been mentioned for Distinguished Conduct. Also included in this volume is a brief history of the chief events of the Great War (to July 1916) in which Irish regiments were engaged.

Discover your female ancestor who served during the First World War with this 215 page publication. Learn about the wartime activities your ancestor was involved in as well as her pre-war life. You may also find a photograph of your ancestor. Each search result includes both a transcript and an image of the original document.

Uncover the stories of British subjects who died in the service of the Indian Empire. This collection contains over 1,100 records and each result includes both a transcript and an image of the original document. Records will reveal a combination of the individual's name, birth and death years, rank, regiment, and service history.

Discover your relative in this index of airmen who died during the First World War. Discover your relative's name, birth and death years, cause of death, rank, and more.These records come from the Naval & Military Press. The service branches designated in this collection are as follows: Australian Flying Corps, Miscellaneous Airmen Casualties, Pre-War Casualties, Royal Air Force, Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service, United States Air Service Casualties Attached to the Royal Fighting Corps/Royal Air Force, US Navy Casualties, and Women's Royal Air Force.

Over 58,000 additional records have been added to the collection. The new additions cover recipients of the Military Cross, Distinguished Flying Medal, Distinguished Conduct Medal, Distinguished Service Order and Commando Gallantry awards.

This week we've added 144,026 pages to our archive of British newspapers, tipping the total to over twenty-seven million pages. Additional years have been added to five of our existing titles, including:

Disclosure: I have a complimentary subscription to Findmypast, and have accepted meals and services from Findmypast, as a Findmypast Ambassador. This has not affected my objectivity relative to Findmypast and its products.

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Sherman Wild Tracy, The Tracy Genealogy; Being Some of the Descendants of Stephen Tracy of Plymouth Colony, 1623 (Rutland, Vt.. : The Tuttle Publishing Company, 1936)[1].

Mary Hawkins was born in about 1710 in Providence, the daughter of William and Mary (--?--) Hawkins of Providence, the first child of six. There are no available birth or baptism records for any of the children. There are no probate records for William or Mary (--?--) Hawkins.

Mary married John Tracy on 2 January 1727/8 in Providence, Rhode Island, which was recorded in the Providence town records[1-3]. John Tracy (1695-1751) was the son of John and Deborah (--?--) Tracy of Providence. The marriage record says:

John bought land in 1728 and 1730 from William Hawk [probably Hawkins, Mary's father][1]. He was a farmer. John and Mary (Hawkins)Tracy lived in what is now Johnston, Rhode Island.

John Tracy died in about 1751, and he left no probate records. Mary died in about 1767, probably in Providence[1]. There are no death records in the Providence town records for them. There are no burial records available, since they were probably buried on a family farm. There are no probate records for either John or Mary Tracy in the Providence County, Rhode Island probate court records.

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Thursday, August 9, 2018

It's time for another edition of "Seavers in the News" - a semi-regular feature from the historical newspapers about persons with the surname Seaver that are interesting, useful, mysterious, fun, macabre, or add information to my family tree database.

This week's entry is from the The Boston (Mass.] Globe newspaper dated 5 September 1935:

The transcription of this article is:

"DINNER TO WALTER ENWRIGHT SEAVER MANAGING DIRECTOR OF HOTEL LENOX

"Walter Enwright Seaver, managing director of Hotel Lenox, youngest head of a metropolitan hotel, was honored at a testimonial dinner in the main dining room of Hotel Lenox last night by nearly 300 prominent hotel men, business and political leaders of Greater Boston and other parts of New England.

" One of the highlights was the fact emphasized that Mr. Seaver, while being toasted, did not forget his closest friend and the man who always recognized his efforts and was responsible for much of his success, the late Lerman C. Prior, former manager of the Lenox.

" Mr. Seaver asked the gathering to give a silent toast to the memory of their late associate, Mr. Prior, and in his address paid a fine tribute to Mr. Prior and what he meant to the hotel fraternity of New England.

"Other speakers were Bradbury F. Cushing, manager of Hotel Statler; Emil Coulton, manager of the Touraine and director of a chain of hotels; George H. Clark, publisher of the Hotel and Travel News; Capt. Percy Skillings of Station 16, and Roscoe H. Prior.

"Manager Seaver has been in the hotel business since he was a boy. He was born in Boston, son of the late Louis A. Seaver, a member of an old New England family and an actor with the Daly Company. In 1908, Walter Seaver went to work during his Summer school vacation at Hotel Lenox. Later, while a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he continued during his spare hours at the Lenox. He enlisted with the 101st Company, Yankee Division, and served with the Headquarters Company during the World War. He was a member of the First Corps Cadets prior to the entry of the Cadets into the Yankee Division. He served overseas.

"When L.C. Prior took over the Brunswick and established a cafeteria, Mr. Seaver went on a tour of inspection of the best cafeterias in the country, bringing back the newest and most approved ideas. After a period at the Brunswick, he returned to manager of Hotel Lenox, under Managing Director Prior. He is married and has three children. His home is at Hosmer ter., Newton.

The article provides one clue about Walter's ancestry - his father was the late Louis A. Seaver. It also gives one clue for his birth date - in 1908 he was a student after finishing school. I guessed that he was born in about 1890.

I searched my RootsMagic family tree database for Walter Enwright Seaver and did not find him. I searched for Louis A. Seaver and did not find him either. I searched on Ancestry for Walter Seaver in Massachusetts born in about 1890, and easily found the 1900 and 1910 U.S. Census records that included Walter E. Seaver in the Louis and Margaret Seaver family in Boston, along with four siblings. There were "Suggested Records" on Ancestry for each of the family members.

I was able to add Walter's family (with his wife and three children), the Louis Seaver family (with wife and five children), to my RootsMagic family tree. Louis A. Seaver (as "Seaberg") married Margaret Enwright in 1883 in Boston. Louis Seaver (1856-1918) was the son of Frederick R. and Mary Augusta (Hobart) Seaber of Boston. Frederick R. Seaver was born in Prussia according to the census and vital records I reviewed. The statement that Louis was "...a member of an old New England family..." was likely based on his mother's Hobart and Terry ancestry.

So I am not a cousin of Walter Enwright Seaver, through his Seaver ancestry, but I may be through his Hobart ancestry.

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About Me

I am a native San Diegan, a graduate of San Diego State University, a retired aerospace engineer, a genealogist and a family guy.
My wife (Angel Linda) and I have two lovely daughters, and five darling grandchildren. We love to visit them and have them visit us.
Angel Linda and I love to travel to visit friends and relatives, to sightsee, to cruise or to do genealogy. Our travels have taken us all over the USA, to England, Down Under and Scandinavia.
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Contact me via email at randy.seaver@gmail.com